Army, Marine Corps Look to Lighten Load for Combat Troops

The Army and Marine Corps are working together to lighten the things they carry.

Close up urban combat and the threat of improvised explosive devices in Iraq following the 2003 invasion transformed the ideas of how much armor troops needed to protect themselves, said Cary Russell, the director defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office.

In addition to ballistic protection plates worn by combat troops on the front and back, the Pentagon buried troops under items such as throat and groin protectors and side plates to protect the abdomen and to shield against snipers and concealed roadside bombs used by insurgents. That caused the weight of personal armor to grow to unprecedented numbers, Russell said.

Read the full article at Stars and Stripes.